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Packed Lunches

We promote healthy packed lunches. Here is some advice and information.

Preparing Your Child’s Lunchbox

A balanced packed lunch should contain:

starchy foods – these are bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and others

protein foods – including meat, fish, eggs, beans and others

a dairy item – this could be cheese or a yoghurt

vegetables or salad and a portion of fruit

Starchy foods are a good source of energy and should make up a third of the lunchbox. But don’t let things get boring. Instead of sandwiches, you could give children bagels, pitta bread, wraps and baguettes. Use brown, wholemeal or seeded bread, not just white bread.

Low-fat Snacks for Kids

Children often like food they can eat with their fingers, so chop up raw veggies such as carrots or peppers and give them hummus or cottage cheese to dip the veggies in.

Breadsticks and wholemeal crackers are great finger foods that can be spread with low-fat soft cheese or eaten with reduced-fat cheddar and pickles.

Replace chocolate bars and cakes with fresh fruit. Vary the fruit each day and get them to try new things, such as kiwi or melon. You could also make up a tasty fruit salad. Be inventive and encourage your children when they try something new. Note that dried fruit is no longer recommended as a between-meal snack as it’s high in sugar and can be bad for teeth.

Save chocolate and cakes for occasional treats. Friday is treat day here at DBCPS (packed lunches can include a chocolate biscuit or cake or dessert.) Remember to praise your child when they’ve tried something new to show your encouragement we will also try to do this at school.